Telescope sight mount for rifles



D. R. MERRITT TELESCOPE SIGHT MOUNT FOR RIFLES Feb. 24, 1953 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Aug. 3, 1949 m m m .m m e M 9 R m F a m 0 Feb. 24, 1953 D. R. MERRITT I TELESCOPE SIGHT MOUNT FOR RIFLES 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Aug. 3, 1949 Inventor Donald R. Merritt Patented Feb. 24, 1953 TELESCOPE SIGHT MOUNT FOR RIFLES Donald R; Merritt, Helena, Mont., assignor to Rocky Mountain Arms Equipment Co. Inc., Helena, Mont, a corporation of Montana Application August 3, 1949, Serial No. 108,295

7 Claims. (01. 33-50) This invention relates to telescope gun sights, and has particular reference to an improved means for mounting a telescope on a rifle so that the same may be swung laterally to and from operative position.

An object of the invention is to provide simple and efficient means for mounting a telescope on top of the receiver of a rifle so that it may be swung to one side of the receiver for permitting ceiver without modifying or'disfiguring the stock or the receiver of the rifle.

The exact nature of the present invention will be apparent from the following description when considered with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a rifle equipped with a telescope sight including a mount constructed in accordance with the present invention, the telescope being in laterally swung inoperative position.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure l, with the telescope swung to operative position.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken on the plane of the line l4 of Figure 3, with the telescope removed.

Figure 5 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 and 5' indicate horizontal base plates which respectively fit on top of the front bridge 6 and the rear bridge 6 of the receiver 1 of the rifle R, and which are rigidly secured in place by screws 8 which pass through apertures of said base plates and are screwed into threaded holes already provided in the bridges of most standard sporting or hunting rifles. At corresponding sides thereof, the base plates are provided with longitudinal alined bearings 9 and 9. The bearings 9 and 9' respectively have open-ended bores l0 and ID, the rear portion ll of the bore 10 being tapered forwardly and the front portion ll' of bore Ill being tapered rearwardly.

A telescope I2 is held by spaced split clamping rings 13 and I3, respectively provided with 9'- and having tapered portions l5 and I5 received in the tapered bore portions H and H of the bearings. The pintles have threaded stems I6 and I6 screwed through the rings [3 and [3' so that said pintles are adjustable relative to said rings to take up play by snugly seating the tapered portions of said pintles in the tapered bore portions of the bearings with the clamping rings under pressure. The front end of pintle M has a kerf I! so that it may be turned for adjusting the same. A nut I8 is threaded on the rear end of pintle l4 and butted against the bearing 9', and a bolt 19 is screwed into nut 18 and butted against the pintle [4, thus preventing any forward shifting of the telescope due to recoil of the rifle. The adjustment of pintle I4 is retained by a cap nut 20 screwed onto the stem It and butted against the clamping ring l3. It will thus be seen that the telescope is eflectively mounted on the rifle to swing between the inoperative position of Figure 1 and the operative position of Figure 2.

Means is provided to releasably hold thetelescope in the operative position, and such means preferably includes a resilient latch 2| arranged to engage a lug 22 provided on the clamping ring l3.

It will be seen that the mount is simple in construction, sightly, light in weight, and otherwise adapted to meet the requirements for successful commercial use. The telescope may be readily flipped to or from operative position, so that the usual sights or the telescope sigh-t may be used without removal, of either from the rifle. The telescope is more rigidly mounted than would be the case if it were mounted at one side of the receiver, as usual. Also, it is not necessary to cut away the rifle stock in using the present mount.

Minor changes may be made in details of construction shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a telescope sight for rifles, horizontal front and rear base plates respectively adapted to fit and be rigidly secured on top of the front and rear bridges of the rifle receiver and provided at corresponding side edges with longitudinal alined bearings, front and rear telescope clamping rings arranged between and adjacent the respective base plates, pintles fixed to and respectively projecting forwardly from the front clamping ring and journaled in the bearing of the front base plate and rearwardly from the pintles l4 and I4 journaled in the bearings 9 and rear clamping ring and journaled in the bearing of the rear base plate so as to mount the telescope for lateral swinging movement to and from an operative position over the receiver and a resilient locking member supported solely by the rear base plate and the opposite thereof from the rear pintle for engaging the rear clamping ring to retain the telescope over the receiver.

2. The construction defined in claim 1, wherein the bearings of the front and rear base plates have open-ended bores, the bore of the bearing of the front base plate being provided with a tapered rear portion and the bore of the bearing of the rear base plate being provided with a tapered front portion, the pintle .of the front clamping ring having an intermediate tapered portion received in the tapered bore portion of the bearing of the front base plate, the pintle of the rear clamping ring having an intermediate tapered portion received in the tapered bore portion of the bearing of the rear base plate.

3. The construction defined in claim 1, wherein the bearings of the front and rear baseplateshave open-ended bores, the bore of the bearing of the front base plate being provided with a tapered rear portion and the bore of the bearing of the rear base plate being provided with a tapered front portion, the pin-tie of the front clamping ring having a tapered intermediate portion received in the tapered bore portion of the bearing of the front base plate, the ,pintle of the rear clamping ring having a tapered intermediate portion received in the tapered bore portion of the bearing of the rear base plate, and means to adjust said pin-tles longitudinally relative to the clamping rings.

4. A telescope mount for rifies, said mount comprising forward and rear base plates, forward and rear telescope embracing clamps pivotally secured to said forward and rear base plates and movable toward and away from the base plates, a resilient arm secured to said rear base plate and having a forwardly extending end portion projecting beyond the rear base plate, said forward end portion of said arm having a convex surface facing the rear clamp, and a lug fixed to and projecting-outwardly from the rear clamp and having an inclined surface for riding against the forward end portion of said arm to urge the arm from the clamp, and said lug also having a concave recess receiving and contacting the convex surface of said forward end portion of said arm to hold the rear clamp relative to the rear base plate as the rear clamp is pivoted down wardly toward the rear base plate.

5. A telescope mount for rifies comprising forward and rear base plates, a sleeve fixed to a side edge of each base ,plate, said sleeves being aligned with one another, forward and rear clamps, a

pintle held by each clamp, said pintles being coaxial and received in the forward and rear sleeves, a spring arm secured to the side edge of the rear base plate opposite the sleeve fixed to the rear base plate, said arm including a forward end projecting forwardly of the rear base plate, the forward end of said arm having a convex surface facing the rear clamp, and a lug projecting outwardly from the rear clamp having a concave recess yieldingly receiving the forward end of said arm and in contact with the convex I surface of said forward end to releasably hold the rear clamp above and in front of said rear base plate.

6. In a mount for telescopes, a base plate having first and second side edges, a sleeve fixed to the first side edge of said base plate, a spring arm secured to the second side edge of the base plate and including a forward end portion projecting forwardly from the base plate and having a convex surface facing the sleeve, a holding member including a rearwardly projecting pivot portion extending rearwardly through the sleeve, and a lug fixed to and projecting outwardly from said holding member and having a concave recess receiving the forward end portion of said arm and contacting the convex surface of the forward end of said arm after the lug rides past the said end portion of said arm during pivotal movement of the holding member in front of and toward the base plate.

7. The combination of claim 6 wherein said holding member comprises a clamp having a pair of spaced openings adapted to respectively accommodate a telescope and said pivot portion, and said clamp having a slit intersecting said openings and a fastener retaining the slit closed.

DONALD R. MERRITT.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 791,548 Fischer June 6, 1905 1,083,288 .Lowe Jan. 6, 1914 1,576,413 Cubitt Mar. 9, 1926 1,702,989 Adams Feb. 19, 1929 2,425,130 Shelley Aug. 5, 1947 2,451,266 Whittemore Oct. 12, 1948 2,527,289 Allen Oct. 24, 1950 2,529,801 Fisk Nov. 14, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 5,589 Great Britain 1902 142,545 Germany 1903 468,237 Great Britain 1937 

